The patient is a COVID-19-infected expectant mother in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City. Earlier, she was hospitalized to Trung Vuong COVID-19 Treatment Hospital and had a cesarean delivery there. Since her health condition worsened after the cesarean section, a medical team from Military Hospital 175 moved her to the hospital’s COVID-19 Treatment Center on August 27 and used mobile ECMO to treat the patient. 

leftcenterrightdel
Doctors of Military Hospital 175 provide treatment for the patient in August.

After 53-day extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support and 91-day treatment, the patient recovered and has been discharged from the hospital. According to the hospital, this was the first severe COVID-19 patient that has been treated by the center by mobile ECMO.

Over the past time, ECMO has shown promising results for patients with severe respiratory failure, unresponsive to conventional mechanical ventilation and other standard treatment methods to save patients. It also helps save severe patients, who are not eligible for transfer to a higher-level hospital.

leftcenterrightdel
The patient (center) was discharged from the hospital.

According to the center’s Deputy Director Colonel Vu Dinh An, to ensure the successful application of ECMO to patient treatment, apart from the ability to master the technology and experience in dealing with similar cases, each medical staff must have courage and be strong-minded. 

He added that skill of transporting patients safely while conducting ECMO is another factor to ensure the successful treatment of patients by using ECMO. 

According to the hospital, on November 26, the center started using mobile ECMO to treat another patient in Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City. Earlier, the patient was hospitalized to FV Hospital and had many serious complications. In  this context, Military Hospital 175’s medical team applied mobile ECMO to treat the patient and safely moved him to the center.

Translated by Tran Hoai